A PLEA has been made for residents to do their Christmas shopping in Whitchurch this year, amid fears the town’s retail offering is “crumbling”.

With the closure of several businesses in the past year, including Philip Langley butchers in June and Newbury Building Society in September, remaining firms are urging people to support them.

Gregor Cuthbertson-Pell, 37, the owner of Nicci-G’s Flower Studio, said: “Personally, I’ve noticed a downturn in revenue, we feel like we aren’t being supported locally. People can be quick to go to big supermarkets like Tesco because everything is there in one building. But bit by bit, local businesses are crumbling in Whitchurch.”

The business previously had premises in Camberley, but the shop there closed six months ago due to falling sales and interest. While another branch of the flower shop in Basingstoke has been open for seven years and is doing well, Gregor fears that without some more support from the community, the Whitchurch shop may have to close in April 2017.

Gregor said: “I think people would be surprised at the amount of shops in Whitchurch, there really is a lot here. We want to recapture the lovely town feel that we feel has been slipping in Whitchurch.”

Other business owners have been trying to help. Annie Dickinson, the managing director of Ryan Dickinson Heating and Plumbing, said: “I’m responsible for a lot of the Christmas trees in the area and I heard about Gregor and the flower shop. We have lovely shops here and we’ve made it our mission to encourage people to shop local.”

Cllr Chloe Ashfield said: “The Co-Op and Post Office haveshown their commitment to us by undertaking significant refurbishments. I urge residents to take a closer look at some of the shops on our doorstep.”